By the Skin of Your Teeth: A Subcutaneous Mouse Model to Study Pulp Regeneration

Exiting developments in tissue engineering and new insights in stem cell biology have led to new possible strategies for the regeneration of damaged tissues in the oral cavity. The regeneration of the pulp-dentin complex regeneration in particular, has drawn the attention of many researchers because of the high clinical needs. While it is still important to perform in vitro research using a wide variety of cells, scaffolds and growth factors, it is also critical to have a reliable animal model for preclinical trials. In this chapter, we describe a mouse model in which a scaffold resembling a tooth containing dental pulp cells is implanted subcutaneously. We also describe which histological stainings could be used to examine blood vessel formation and the regeneration of the pulp-dentin complex.